Doula Surround

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

I have neglected keeping this blog up, after my announcement in 2009 that I would not be able to work as a birth doula any longer, but have kept up my Doula Surround Facebook page, if you want to mosey on over there to find some great resources and stay up to date on this doula's world! I am managing my Fibromyalgia (diagnosed last year) and have attended some beautiful births, even though I said I could not. They were for friends, but still put a lot of work into them. Three altogether, making my total of births attended 15. I am still an active Breastfeeding Peer Counselor, also and have created a new page on FB for that, too. Thank you!

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

To EVERYONE PLEASE READ: I am sad to announce that I can not offer my doula services any longer. ***tears*** My health just won't allow the stamina that is required of a birth doula. :( I am being tested for rheumatoid arthritis... or it may be Fibromyalgia that I am suffering from. What I really want to do is become a CBE (Childbirth Educator), so maybe, just maybe, I won't be out of the birth loop entirely. I love all things birth/babies/breastfeeding & will not ever cut it out of my life 100%! I am keeping my page up here and on Facebook, to offer great articles that I find.

I have been privileged to have witnessed 10 vaginal births of healthy babies that were breastfed!! That will always stick with me. I am in contact with over half of those families now.I am devastated, pretty much, & it has taken a long time to come to this conclusion. I love all the people that I have met along the way.

Monday, June 15, 2009

Article I enjoyed for its thoroughness in listing remedies for "as needed" in labor & childbirth & even for benefits to baby. As a birth doula, I cannot recommend any form of medicine, including homeopathy. Suggestions? Maybe, but cannot dispense it. We have to be careful how we mention these things.Alternative Medicine

Homeopathy for Labor and Childbirth

Homeopathy provides many remedies for pregnancy, labor, and delivery. Homeopathic remedies can provide great healing for both mothers and newborns. In 1900, James Tyler Kent wrote, “No woman at the present day is well enough to go through labor without some symptoms calling for a remedy.” This same sentiment is true today.

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Ebeanstalk is dedicated to a baby’s development. And we select the best baby toys matched to a baby's development. To see great information on how a baby grows up, check out the info on our baby toys page.

Picking toys for a baby is not as simple as it sounds. Here are some quick baby facts:

Toys for a newborn baby: A newborn baby is briefly looking at objects and attempting to imitate facial expressions. They can follow objects with their eyes and usually quiet down, when they are picked up.

Toys for a three month old: They will enjoy ‘frolic play’, reaching for objects and will repeat enjoyable activities. Believe it or not, they will respond to ‘no’ (about half the time) and will start babbling.

Toys for a six month old: They’ll search for hidden objects (object permanence). They’ll reach for themselves in the mirror, play peekaboo, crumple paper, roll from their stomach to their back and even respond to their name.

Toys for a nine month old: They are pushing toy cars, playing pat-a-cake and looking for hidden sounds. The baby toys they are playing with are also getting more fun.

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Monday, May 11, 2009

What if there was no pelvis? What if it were as insignificant to how a child is born as how big the nose is on the mother’s face? After thirty years of watching human birth, this is what I have come to. Pelvises open at three stretch points—the symphisis pubis and the two sacroiliac joints.

These points are full of relaxin hormones—the pelvis literally begins falling apart at about thirty-four weeks of pregnancy. In addition to this mobile, loose, stretchy pelvis, nature has given human beings the added bonus of having a moldable, pliable, shrinkable baby head.

Like a steamer tray for a cooking pot has folding plates that adjust it to any size pot, so do these four overlapping plates that form the infant’s skull adjust to fit the mother’s body. Every woman who is alive today is the result of millions of years of natural selection.

Saturday, May 2, 2009

Breastmilk is studied once again & shown to have stem cells.The placenta provides them, then mammary glands take over the job, when the child is born!Cool!Read the rest of the article here at the Science Alert site.

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Benefits: Excellent use of gravity, easy for attendant to see birth, opens pelvis, takes pressure off back, known as one of the best positions to facilitate a difficult birth, helps mother to focus pushing efforts.

Drawbacks: Legs and bottom may fall asleep, can cause a quick birth and tearing, requires midwife or doctor to provide a birth stool. (unless you make or buy your own! See link below!

Friday, April 3, 2009

I am pooling my resources with a Childbirth Educator in Waynesboro & we are combining our Birth Circles starting this month!It will be held at the Yoga Center in Downtown Waynesboro, VA on the 1st Monday of each month, at 7 p.m.Please come, get information or help support other moms who need it...

What I Do, Think, Believe

My philosophy as a doula issimple.

I am not attached to outcomes. I want to support families in whatever decisions they make, as long as they are making fully informed decisions.

That being said, I also believe in the wisdom of women's bodies and the birth process.As a doula, I am there to be a continuous, calm, and supportive presence who can remind parents of their knowledge, their wisdom, and their preferences- no matter how they are being defined.I can also give massages, be a gopher, a photographer and an all around useful extra set of hands.When hiring a doula it has a lot to do with the chemistry of the mom and the support person... if you are interested in my services, drop me an email and we can set up a time to talk and to see if we mesh well.

I can offer you Support while you are feeding your child THE BEST food possible for them!

Please check with your caregiver if you have any questions about your baby. I am not a medical professional. I have chosen to become an informed parent & my intention is to share this with others, if they choose to be informed, also.